winter's bite
by buiostella
Summary: sequel to my first book "heroes of minecraftia". follow the story of a orphaned survivor boy and his wolf cub on an adventure to save his new parents from evil. A story of love, lies, trust, and family.
1. Chapter 1

I'm cold, I don't know who I am or where I am, but all I do know is that im in a cave and I'm cold.

Where am I? I sit up and take a look around, the cave is small enough that I can reach out both arms and touch the sides and high enough to sit, it opens out into a bright light that I decide to investigate. Turns out it was just snow, there were trees looming all around me as if waiting to see what I would do next, so I took a walk around. The forest was beautiful, the majestic pine tree trunks buried in the snow with more piled on the branches until the point of falling off, this I learned when a clump landed on my head and made me jump.

Looking into an unfrozen part of a lake I examined what I looked like, I had a thick light blue shirt and jeans, but my eyes were amber and I had curly brown hair, my nose was pink because of the cold but otherwise there was nothing unusual about me.

Just then I heard a noise from behind, I turned to see a sheep munching some grass; it turned to me and let out a "baaa". Then it froze and tried to run away but the trees blocked its way, then I heard the sound of clicking claws on ice: my instinct was to climb the nearest tree. Below me ran a pack of wolves, fur coats sparkling with snow. They were running at the sheep so I turned away, all that was left was a clump of wool where a wolf cub was taking a nap while the others licked their paws and rested. Just then a moan came out of the trees making the wolves' ears perk up in alarm, a strange green creature emerged wearing clothes just like mine, but tattered and in shreds. The wolves ran away but the cub was still in the wool, too scared to move.

The zombie got closer and closer, shuffling slowly at the cub. I knew it didn't deserve to die so I jumped down, scooped up the wool in a bundle, and ran for the cave where I blocked myself in with dirt. I pulled out the cub from the wool and put it on the floor, he looked around a month old with eyes the color of ice, but his fur was as soft as the wool. I stuffed the bundle into my shirt to keep warm, the cub was staring at me and shivering so I put him in, he snuggled up and I felt twice as warm.

"I think I'll call you cozy" I said to him, he wagged his tail as we both went to sleep

The next day I woke up and went outside, there were a few of those strange green monsters but they had caught on fire and died, cozy was still asleep so I decided to explore. The forest seemed to repeat itself as I walked and after a while I was sure I was lost, after climbing a large hill I looked around and saw the moon on the horizon

Great, I thought to myself, you've gotten yourself lost in the woods with a wolf cub in your shirt at night time. I checked inside my shirt and cozy poked his head out and wagged his tail. Off in the distance I saw light, very far away but I could make it if I went fast enough

"Hold on cozy" I said "it's going to get bumpy"

Off I went, down the slope, weaving between trees with arrows being shot at me from unseen archers. Just don't stop running, I said to myself, just run and dodge. I ran into a patch of ice and slipped, hurting my ankle, but I continued limp-running towards the light beyond a wall of trees. I was in a clearing now with monsters behind me and getting closer, I could hear a strange clacking sound, some hissing, a moan, a lower pitch hiss, and a static-like sound that send shivers down my spine. Right before I could get to the cover of trees an arrow hit my shoulder and I fell. All I could hear before I blacked out was the sound of sturdy legs pounding on the ground, arrows whizzing by my head, and a girl's voice saying

"there's a boy over here!"


	2. Chapter 2

I can't see anything, it's dark and warm. Great, I thought, I'm dead. Then my head started spinning and I felt cozy lick my nose, I slowly opened my eyes and saw cozy staring back. I gave him a pet and he layed down on my chest, I looked around: I was in a small room with one window and a door, the room was made of planks of wood.I pushed cozy down to my lap and sat up, I winced from the pain in my shoulder, just then a girl walked in the door and stopped when she saw I had woken up, she put her head back out the door and said loudly

"Jet! He's awake!" Then turned to me, she looked about 18 and had golden hair and eyes that were bright blue like cozy's, but not as sparkling. "Well good morning" she said kindly, she entered the room just as a large amount of thumping came from what I assume was downstairs and a boy about the same age came in and said good morning as well

The girl said "my name is Thalia and this is Jet" she gestured toward the boy, he had dark brown hair and green eyes, they were both wearing the same clothes as me. "What's your name?"

"I don't know"

"Uh oh" said Jet, frowning "maybe when they took his memory they took his name too" he sat on the floor "how much do you remember?"

"Not much" I said "just how I got to where you found me, and of course how I found cozy"

At the mention of his name cozy started wagging his tail "we'd like to listen" Thalia said, I told them everything and they listened. When he had finished Jet spoke up

" well its a good thing we found you, or you would have been mince meat, how old are you?"

"I don't know"

"Well you look about 12, so we'll just say you are"

After he had healed they gave him a tour of the house, it was a nice two story with a front dining room with three doors leading to the kitchen, living room and stairs leading to the bedrooms. It was a blizzard outside so they didn't show him that part but they said there was a barn with their two riding pigs and a cow, they also had a small indoor garden with wheat, carrots and potatoes. The kitchen had a door leading out the back and another to the garden and storage area. The living room was a simple setup with a couch and two chairs around a fireplace with bookshelves, in the corner was a jukebox and note block.

After I had seen the house we went into the living room for some cookies and milk, which I ate most of, I didn't really know just how hungry I was.

"So, where am I exactly?" I asked

"You are on an island far far away from the shores of kingdom minecraftia" Thalia said

"As far as we know there arent any large civilizations here, too dangerous for them" Jet added

"But we have lived here for as long as we can remember" Thalia said, Jet put his arm around her and she held his hand "and we have been perfectly happy"

**Well, I'm finishing this chapter on December 20th... Waiting for the end of the world, so I would just like to thank everyone who has read my stories. Goodnight heroes of imagination.**

**-buiostella**


	3. Chapter 3

The next day we prepared to visit kingdom minecraftia to see who I belonged to, first we entered the portal and walked through the nether into a big portal room, Jet and Thalia introduced me to their friend Sam. He was a dragon, but he was busy at the moment so I only saw a golden eye the size of cozy (who was still in my shirt) and got a friendly deep-voiced hello.

Next we entered the central castle to meet king Steve's historians

"Well" a pudgy historian told us after looking through the books " his name is Gabriel and it appears he was an orphan before he was taken, so the only place we can take him to is the orphanage"

After talking it over in the next room Jet and Thalia told him that they would like to adopt me

"Only if he is okay with it" the historian said

"Well of course I am!"

Hugs all around

Over the next few weeks they taught me everything I needed to know to survive and more. Jet taught me how to use a sword, build tools, make shelter, cook food, he tried to teach me to use his gauntlet that sprang diamond claws but it was too heavy for me, he also taught me climbing by going for a hike up the mountain. When we were at the top we could see the whole plain covered in snow, on the way back down I slipped on some gravel and almost fell but he caught me.

"Remember" he said "always know where you are standing"

Thalia taught me how to shoot a bow, track prey, harvest food, stay warm, and feed cozy, who was learning more about the world every day. He was learning to hunt and play and he had gotten too big to fit in my shirt, but I still wake up with a dog on my chest. I was getting used to the name Gabriel and also calling Thalia and Jet mom and dad.

Then one night everything changed

We were sitting in the living room, it was cold and snowing outside but we were nice and warm. Cozy sat on my lap and I petted him while mom and dad played a game I couldn't understand, then the wind stopped, and off in the distance I heard a terrifying shriek. Dad went to the window and his eyes, for the first time, looked scared.

"Thalia, take Gabriel to the saferoom, once you're there stay put"

Mom crossed her arms and said "I can fight"

"And that's why I love you" dad said" but you have to trust me when I say we can't fight this, I'm just going to lock the doors"

Mom thought for a moment and then said "okay, but please hurry, come on Gabriel"

We rushed to the kitchen and pushed a furnace out of the way, below it was a ladder going deep Underground that opened to a hollowed out room with some beds, a chest of food, and a furnace. I sat on one of the beds with cozy and my eyes started to water, mom sat on the bed next to me and held my head

"Its okay Gabriel, we're going to be okay" she said in my ear, but her words quivered and I knew she was scared too. Cozy was trembling on the bed and I calmed him down. Just then a noise echoed from up the ladder, a resounding BOOM and the crackle of rubble. Then the shriek again, louder this time, and the sound of dad yelling. Mom stood and gasped, she grabbed her bow and arrows and kissed my forehead. "Stay here" she said "I'll be right back"

She disappeared up the ladder, another boom, mom screaming, then silence. I waited a few minutes and they still didn't come. I climbed the ladder holding cozy and emerged from a pile of rubble blocking the hole, the house was destroyed, splintered wood sticking out from all angles. I looked to the forest and saw a black blur disappear south, uh oh, my vision is blurring, I wipe the tears away but they keep coming back, I start crying, calling out their names but they aren't there, then I see dad's sword and mom's bow and pick them up, but no sign of my new parents, they must be alive, I think to myself, they HAVE to be! I get some food from the safehouse and put it in a pack, then I call to cozy and set off. I don't know where I'm going or what I'm facing but whatever sick thing took my family away from me was going to pay. But I'm also scared, scared that I might find them dead, or that I would meet the same fate, but I can't turn back now.


	4. Chapter 4

I found one of the pigs in the forest. It was drinking from a pool a few yards into the forest with its saddle still on so I hopped on holding cozy on my chest. We flew through the forest so fast it wasn't long before we stopped at a hole in the ground, there was wool scattered everywhere, I had to look away before I threw up. I rode on until I came to a cave, the wind started blowing, bringing down snow, filling any tracks made by the strange monster.  
The sun was setting so I knew it was hopeless to continue in the storm. I tied the pig to a rock, covered the cave and lit a torch, illuminating the inside. I set a blanket I had scavenged on the floor and let cozy snuggle next to me, the cold wind howled outside but cozy kept me warm. The next morning I woke up and looked outside, no monsters in sight. I saddled up and gave the pig a carrot, he munched it and started to trot. We followed a trail of craters, all with things like wool, beef, pork and raw chicken. Whatever this thing was it had a hunger for animals but no appetite, it killed just for the fun of it.  
We followed the trail until it disappeared, we kept walking and came to a temple on the edge of the jungle, the once sturdy walls cracked and crumbled, vines growing everywhere, it looked small but when I went inside it seemed larger, I went down a flight of stairs to where there were two ways, I went left and found three levers, the first did nothing, the second didn't either nor the third, but when I pulled down only the second I heard a sound of stone grinding. When I went back up part of the wall was gone, revealing a chest with bread and a leather tunic as well as an emerald inside. Going the right direction led to a dark hallway, i took a few steps and heard a click. Time slowed down, I saw a glint in the darkness and jumped to the wall. Cozy, who had just gotten brave enough to come down, stopped dead in his tracks with an arrow in the wall inches from his nose. I lit a torch and saw a very thin string on the floor it went into the wall and would set off the trap if we touched it, so I pulled out some shears to snip it.  
"Step back cozy" I said, he walked back upstairs and I snipped the wire, nothing happened.  
Then I heard sobbing, at the end of the hall was a little girl. About five years old by the look of it, she was shivering in a light blue shirt and jeans, the same clothes I was found in. Her hair was red and it went to her shoulders, she sat huddled in the corner and when she looked up at me her emerald colored eyes were filled with tears, she stopped crying and shrunk back into the corner.  
"Don't worry" I said softly as I could to her "I won't hurt you, I promise"  
She relaxed but stayed quiet  
"Are you ok?" I asked, she shook her head and mumbled "hungry"  
"Well here" I pulled out the bread from the chest and held out my hand, she cautiously took the bread and devoured it.  
"How did you get here?" I asked  
"Woke up scared, chased by bad things here" she said quietly, her lip quivered and she looked like she would cry just thinking about it "so cold"  
I pulled out the tunic "here" I said as I pulled a clump of wool out from my shirt and stuffed it "put this on"  
She did and stopped shivering, after she had calmed down she stood up and was greeted by cozy. I introduced him and she hugged his soft fur to death  
"Alright" I said "we should cover up the entrance before it gets dark"  
By the time it was we had the temple sealed off and lighted, I was in front of the fire, the girl was across from me and cozy was sleeping with his head in my lap.  
"What's your name?" I asked, she quietly said "Angel"  
"Are you lost? Where are your parents?"  
She lowered her head "from the orphanage, went to sleep and woke up here"  
"Well I was an orphan too" I told her "and I'm going to save my family"  
She listened while I told her everything. How I got here, how Jet and Thalia took me in, what happened to them and why I had to save them. After I finished she said "can I come?"  
She didn't have anywhere to go, no real choice in all honesty, but I still would have said yes. When day broke I put her up in the saddle and gave the pig a carrot, we started walking closer and closer to the truth.


End file.
